‘ER’ and diversity

How can Maria Elena Fernandez say “ER” has been “long considered the gold standard of diversity”? [“ ‘Lost’ Takes an Odd Path to Diversity,” Feb. 13]. Nearly one out of every six doctors in the United States is of Asian descent, yet producer John Wells waited five seasons to include one Asian American regular, played by Ming-Na.

Wells, like most Hollywood producers, does see race first. A white person is allowed to play anything, but a person of color is usually added only after the more dominant (white) characters have been created. The only way this will ever change is if more minority writers and producers are hired.

Guy Aoki

Los Angeles

Guy Aoki is the founder and former president of Media Action Network For Asian Americans.

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Hasn’t it occurred to Maria Elena Fernandez that “Lost” is a retelling of the 1956 Walter Pidgeon film “Forbidden Planet,” which itself was an update of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”?

The “monsters from the id” are the polar bear and dinosaur-like creatures the 12-year-old Walt saw in that Spanish comic book that he can’t read but liked to stare at. Want to bet that when someone figures out how to open the sealed hatch in the ground, we will see an updated version of the Krell Machine busily humming?

Michael McDonald

Rancho Palos Verdes